Helen Mac – Corporate Optimist

As we pull ourselves out of the GFC, we need to move beyond “positive thinking” to a much more powerful combination of thought and action. Optimal performance from teams can’t be created with old habits and thinking patterns. We need a fresh approach to boost attitudes and get individuals & teams into productive action that creates better results. We need “Corporate Optimism”.

The topics below are all designed to optimise outcomes in your business. They can be delivered in conference or workshop format, in time-frames as short as 45 minutes and as long as several days.

“Leadership – The Fine Line Between Optimisim And Delusion”

There is a fine line between believing that everything will work out well and operating accordingly…and maintaining that approach beyond the point when common sense dictates the a change of strategy is required. Leaders need to walk that fine line to maintain morale in the team but not let false positives create potential damage! We need to view the business, the team and the opportunities through different lenses, allowing us to see the best possible outcomes and work towards optimising our results.

Helen delivered a condensed version of this topic, to an audience at TEDxMelbourne Leadership Forum in August 2012 – a recording of this event is above.

“The Negative Impact Of Positive Thinking”

Optimal results come, not from thinking positively, but from the practical application of three key elements – attitude awareness, activity management and achievement focus. These three essentials have the power to move your business from a negative situation, through a realistic assessment, to an action-oriented search for an optimal solution.

“The Consequence Conversation”

There are five critical conversations that have the power to drive dramatic improvements in results. The interactions we have with our team members have a direct impact on results. Letting issues slide, hoping they will go away, just doesn’t work any more. These important & influential conversations create consequences for action and inaction.

“Why Can’t Everybody Think Like Me?”

When people understand each other, they can create better results together. When they don’t, they can’t get anything done. Team members who understand how their approach might differ from that of their colleagues can make small changes in communication to connect better. Then we can all build better relationships that boost results!

“Optimism: The Achievement Mindset”

Go “beyond positive thinking’, by introducing the nine elements we need for successful maintenance of the critical attitude that drives performance – optimism! Fun, dynamic, interactive – the whole team will be ready to take on new challenges & achieve bigger goals.

“The Myth Of Work/Life Balance”

Work/Life balance is worse than a myth – it’s an impossibility! Everybody seems to be pushing the need for work/life balance these days. What a ridiculous concept – that you can somehow balance out a miserable worklife by taking a few extra hours off or by spending “quality time” with your family. Many people live in the hope that something is going to rescue them from a work-life that has turned them into slaves; a grey-faced army mindlessly slogging through the daily grind.

The only solution is to create an optimistic, productive workplace, where people feel valued and able to make a meaningful contribution. Not only does this boost their results, but they leave work at the end of the day capable of doing more than just dragging themselves home to collapse exhausted in front of the television. If our work is enjoyable, given that it takes up such an enormous amount of time and effort, then there’s no drama about fighting for some kind of mythical balance! Imagine what your team could do, if their energy was focused on achieving goals rather than surviving another day!

“Change Happens”

7 keys to successfully navigating storms in your business and your life… You may remember the line from a song from the 60’s….”the times they are a-changin’!”. Certainly true in the 60’s, this phrase is even more applicable now. While many experts talk about managing change, Helen takes a different view – that change is a fact of life, but not one that we can always manage. Sometimes we need to simply take personal responsibility for navigating our way through the “storm”, whether personal or business. Participants are shown seven keys to make sure that we all arrive safely at our ultimate destination, having benefited from the experiences of the journey!